In the field of human exercise, techniques and exercises have been developed that integrate mental and physical processes to improve the health and fitness of both the mind and the body. Pioneered by Joseph Pilates 70 years ago, the techniques of body/mind integration that have been developed are used today by many people seeking fitness programs that offer more than conventional methods. The methods of body/mind integration exercise deep muscles within the body in a harmonic and controlled fashion to achieve efficient and graceful movement, improve posture and breathing, and increase body awareness.
One particular aspect of body/mind methodology involves what is known as “towel work,” which employs a rolled towel, held at each end by the hands. The hands may then be spread apart to stretch the towel into tension, and the arms may be moved in synchronous exercises of upper body muscles. A wide range of towel exercises have been developed to provide a non-impact balanced exercise of upper body muscle groups especially around the neck and shoulders. Towel work benefits the user by enhancing depression and retraction of the shoulder girdle, opening and expanding the anterior chest and shoulder muscles, correcting forward head posture, increasing range of motion in the cervical spine and the shoulder girdle for weight bearing work on equipment. This inexpensive method provides numerous advantages and can be employed while standing, sitting or in a lying position.
There are, however, disadvantages to using a rolled towel for towel work. Different towels of different length will produce different distances between the hands holding the towel at its ends. When the hands are not held an optimal distance apart, the advantages achievable by the exercise is diminished. Further, a rolled towel will typically lack a desirable extent of extensibility, producing unnecessary muscle strain and misapplication of muscle stresses. Also, a rolled towel is difficult to hold and an undesirable degree of soreness in the hands can develop during the course of the exercise. Moreover, all towels are not of uniform weight and most are not of a desired weight.
Thus, there is a need for an invention that overcomes these and other prior art limitations.